Weapon Carrying Quotes
This is a very clear statement of a theory offered by some gun advocates. Opponents observe that if this were true, the parts of the country that had the highest gun ownership would have the lowest gun deaths and crime in general, but that is not true. Obversely, when some jurisdictions like Florida have made guns easier to obtain, the crime rate has not increased as some gun opponents would predict.
Many gun rights advocates are surprised to learn that the communities of the old West had gun control. And it was far stricter than most cities have had in modern times.
This historical quotation gives us an interesting picture or Secret Service practices and First Family Security in 1937. Unlike all the first ladies before her and most after her, she was a very active political figure and regularly received threats. Yet she not only drove alone on occasions, but published that fact to the world in this column. Also, although an extreme liberal, she had little trouble carrying a gun and learning to use it. Her father and her Uncle Theodore Roosevelt both were very comfortable with guns. What is surprising is that the Secret Service did not provide more protection for her. At that time gun ownership had not yet become a political issue, and Mrs. Roosevelt, a committed liberal, thought nothing of “packing heat” at a personal level.
